Specialist shares breathtaking before-and-after photos after tackling massive removal project: 'Awesome work'

An invasive species removal specialist took to social media to show the impressive results of a successful project in North Carolina. They explained that they spent a day removing ivy from a wooded area on a property in Cary.

The post featured before-and-after shots and included a color-coded map to track the specialist's progress in eradicating the invasive plant species.

"It feels good to treat the cancer before it spread too far in this nice patch of woods," they wrote. "Two more neighbors completed their ivy removal and got lit in blue on the map, so we're getting some nice coverage of the neighborhood at this point."

As the National Invasive Species Information Center says, English ivy was brought to the United States in the late 1800s. Like other non-native plants, it has a detrimental effect by competing with local plants, overgrowing, and choking out native species. Ivy also infests trees and can present a significant wildfire hazard when it dies.

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Managing invasive ivy isn't easy, but manual removal can be effective, and, as the post demonstrated, it's better to catch it early. Oregon State University Extension recommends first creating ivy-free circles around trees and prioritizing ivy that is flowering or fruiting. It also cautions against using the pulled-up ivy for mulch or compost.

Of course, a garden with native plants is better for the ecosystem, easier and cheaper to maintain, and just plain beautiful. Similarly, rewilding your yard is an ideal option for the environment and your wallet.

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The social media post generated a handful of approving comments.

"Awesome work. Tackling the less invaded areas yield great benefit quickly," one user said.

Another appreciated the visual aid, saying, "Love your idea of the color coded map."

One commenter remarked on the preventive nature of the removal: "I love that someone reached out to you and that it was a property where the ivy hadn't spread everywhere."